Informed Alaskans

Alaska BRFSS Health Profiles: Boroughs/Census Areas [FLASH]

Contents

This page is used to select InstantAtlas Maps to display BRFSS variables by boroughs/census areas. Boroughs/Census Areas are the 18 boroughs and 11 US Census Bureau-defined census areas. These two systems have been aggregated into 29 geographic units which correspond to post-2008 census area definitions.

The user will also specify whether to depict actual prevalence estimates (termed "crude rates") or age-adjusted estimates which transform the prevalence as if Alaska had the same age structure as the United States 2000 Standard Population. Crude rates are useful for determining the percentage of the population at risk. Age-adjusted rates are useful for transforming survey responses into a standard age distribution when making comparisons between regions or across time periods.

InstantAtlas maps use space, color, magnitude, and direction to facilitate data visualization of health risk factors on maps and charts. Four templates or formats are used to display the BRFSS health profiles. The first three templates require use of an Adobe Flash compatible browser. The Single Map template combines a map, bar chart, and times-series chart for viewing a single variable across all regions. The Double Map template is a research tool that allows the selection of two variables (with their own maps) to be compared in a bi-variable graph across regions. The Double Map template is only available for use with age-adjusted data. A third, visual option is the Area Profiles - Spine Chart template which looks at multiple variables for a single region. A non-graphical option is available in the HTML Profiles template. Individuals desiring a text-based or accessible alternative, should choose the HTML Profile option.

Data files are available in comma-separated values (CSV) and Excel XSLX formats.